


Lullaby

by Meynara



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Baby, Brontophobia, F/M, Haruhi and her fear of Thunderstorms, Kyoya has a wonderful singing voice and you can't change my mind, Music Room Number 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-07 13:52:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18411965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meynara/pseuds/Meynara
Summary: A thunderstorm hits while the host club is in session, and while all of the hosts are aware of Haruhi's fear, only one is able to help in the moment.Years later, Haruhi remembers.





	Lullaby

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for [Music Room 3](https://ohshc-music-room3-zine.tumblr.com/), an Ouran High School Host Club fanzine that centered on the central image of our hosts and company interacting with what the club's room had originally been meant for: music.
> 
> Beta read by the wonderful [Kassie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amorremanet/profile), despite not knowing a thing about Ouran.
> 
> Artwork by [asobanana](https://asobanana.tumblr.com/post/184169544486/my-illustrations-to-go-with-meythecats-fic-for).

_In_ . **Out** . _In_ . **Out**.

Haruhi was trying to do her best to focus, to keep breathing, her attention narrowed to what was immediately before her. The music room filled with chattering voices, most of them cheerful, even as a storm raged outside.

Despite the room being _full_ of young ladies seeking out the hosts for company, it seemed none had noticed Haruhi’s absence, which was all for the good as far as she was concerned. The only reason she herself had noticed the weather outside had been because she had left to get more snacks and tea, only to see a flash of lightning outside the window.

The sounds of music and conversation helped keep Haruhi from bolting to hide underneath a table, but it was a very near thing as she stayed rooted in place, knuckles turning white as she grasped at the edge of the table. With her back to the room, with shadows to cover her, she assumed she wouldn't be seen. She could break down if she needed to -- but she didn’t _want_ to, she wanted to be _strong_ , **needed** to be stronger than her own traitorous mind!

However much she might try to hold on to the sounds around her -- how she wanted to hold on to the possibility that she wouldn’t hide from the storm -- when another flash of lightning came in through the window, accompanied by a loud crash of thunder and followed almost _immediately_ by the power in the building going off, she was **gone** , diving underneath the table as many of the guests started to scream, voices shrill.

“Ladies, ladies!” Tamaki’s voice rang out, barely registered by Haruhi from where she hid beneath the table, trying to calm the guests. “It’s merely a storm, nothing to be afraid of!” Unnoticed to the guests, but easily caught by the other hosts -- including Haruhi -- was the tremor of worry that tinged his voice. There was rustling cloth as people moved, most merely shifting in their seats, moving closer to one another as if seeking comfort from that small bit of contact.

A few, however, stood and were walking, the faint sound of feet hitting the tile ringing out as the hosts (aside from Haruhi) spread out, each having a destination in mind. Cabinet doors opened, more sounds of rustling, only for small areas of light to reveal themselves. While not the most practical of sorts, the Host Club did have candles around as well as means to light said candles, which gave a soft light as the majority of the hosts began to move around, from table to table, providing comfort to the women.

However, one pair of feet didn’t move with the others, instead moving closer and closer to where Haruhi hid, a distance away from the ladies, from the other hosts. As another crash of thunder was heard, she let out a soft whimper, clenching her eyes shut and putting her hands over her ears.

A few moments later, she felt a soft warmth beside her, pulling her close, his voice soft and low and...singing?

“Hush now, my darling, and don’t be afraid, for I’ll be right here.” Moving her hands away from her ears, it took another moment for her to register that the voice she was hearing, the body that was sitting on the floor and holding onto her, was none other than Kyoya, his voice vibrating within his chest as he sung to her. “See, see, my dearheart, everything is well, and I’m still right here. Nothing can harm you, nothing can find you, nothing will touch you while I remain, my dear.”

Cautiously, she opened her eyes, seeing a candle in front of them as well, just out from underneath the table where the smoke wouldn’t be caught with them, giving off a gentle warmth, a gentle light with voices from the room at large making their way towards the pair at a soft murmur. Peering out from beneath her bangs, she looked up towards Kyoya, the light from the candle reflecting off the lenses of his glasses, making it difficult to tell if he was watching her or not, but he continued to sing the same verse, soft and low, unwilling to let go of his hold on her.

Luckily for her, it seemed the storm was leaving as quickly as it had come, the sound of raindrops against the windows tapering off as the thunder rumbled less and less, until it was done altogether. As the lighting flickered back on overhead, Kyoya’s hold on Haruhi relaxed, letting his arm fall back as he leaned forward to look closely at her face.

“Wh-what? Is there something there?” She could feel her cheeks warming even as Kyoya lifted his hand to gently brush underneath her eyes, much gentler than she had imagined possible from the cool, collected host.

“Nothing. Nothing at all, Haruhi.” There was a flicker of a smile on his face before he began to move himself out from underneath the table. It took another beat for Haruhi’s mind to catch up with what she was seeing, leaving her to quickly scramble out from beneath the table as well, reaching out to gently grasp hold of Kyoya’s wrist.

“Wait, Kyoya-senpai…!”

She waited long enough for Kyoya to turn back to look at her before pulling on his arm once more, enough to cause him to lean down until she could easily reach to place a quick kiss on his cheek, promptly letting go of his wrist the moment she had done so. Cheeks flushing a bright red, she quickly stammered, “Th-thank you,” before turning to go back to what she’d been doing when the storm had hit, leaving a confused Kyoya to watch her, only vaguely aware of the growing volume from the ladies (and hosts) behind him.

* * *

The sounds of an infant crying pierced through the night, causing the other two occupants of the bedroom to groan softly. Both lay in the large, comfortable bed for a long moment only for the cry to turn shrill, causing the smaller of the two to quickly throw the comforter back and swing her legs out from underneath, padding along the plush carpet over to the bassinet that was only a short distance away, pressed against the wall.

“Shhh, Kotoko, it’s alright, just a moment.” Haruhi’s voice was thick with sleep, her body moving on autopilot as she carefully picked up the small infant, blanket and all, and cradled her close, feet leading her to the large door that would lead into the next room -- another, smaller bedroom, one that was being turned into a nursery for the youngest Ootori, complete with the latest in infant bedding, and an old rocking chair that had been passed down to Kyoya’s mother when she had her first child.

That chair was where Haruhi’s feet were leading her, after pressing the door joining the two rooms shut, to give Kyoya a reprieve from the wailing. Gently bouncing the small girl, Haruhi looked down at her with a soft, tired smile as she sat, wasting no time at all before they began to move. The chair creaked slightly as they moved, arm continuing to gently bounce Kotoko lightly, trying to soothe her back to sleep.

At only a couple of weeks old, neither Kotoko nor her mother were experienced in what was necessary to know exactly what was needed to keep the infant happy. Letting out a soft snort, Haruhi watched as Kotoko continued to cry, not knowing for certain what she needed.

“Well, your diaper is clean,” she spoke softly, keeping as calm as could be, hoping her voice would at least help soothe a bit -- and it did, but only a bit, the crying growing softer, but still present as Kotoko squirmed beneath her blanket. “You’ve eaten recently, too, so you shouldn’t be hungry again, and we’ve burped you.” There was a pause from the mother before, “I’m starting to think Kyoya was _right_ . Maybe it _would_ be a good idea to have a live-in nanny.”

Letting out a sigh, she shifted the weight of the infant until she was resting against Haruhi’s shoulder, cheek pressed against it gently as she continued crying, a gentle hand patting against Kotoko’s back. “Mothers have been raising their children for countless **years** without hiring help to do it, though, so why should I have to rely on that any sooner than necessary?” Haruhi slipped into a steady rhythm, seeking to soothe the child either through the rhythm itself, or to dislodge a gas bubble that was trapped within.

When the crying stopped for a moment as Kotoko let out a small burp, Haruhi smiled, “That’s it, good job, Kotoko. Maybe yo--” Before she could finish, Kotoko began crying loudly once more. “O-okay, maybe not. Shh, Kotoko, it’s fine, you’re perfectly fine, baby. I promise.” She continued patting against the infant’s back for a few more minutes, idly talking until it became clear that just speaking wasn’t soothing her any longer.

Now, it was rather well known that Haruhi couldn’t sing well. Much as she might enjoy listening to music, she wasn’t great at performing it. This, however, did not stop the thought that sprang to mind as she continued rocking in the chair, facing the window and unaware of the door opening behind them.

“Hush now, my darling, and don’t be afraid, for I’ll be right here.” Her voice was soft and gentle, and if she wasn’t quite on pitch, there was no one present to judge her. Kotoko certainly didn’t seem to be judging, given her crying lowered in volume.

As Haruhi continued, however, she was joined by a soft baritone, footsteps moving until a figure stood behind the rocking chair. “See, see, my dearheart, everything is well, and I’m still right here.”

Smiling, Haruhi tilted her head back, looking up to see Kyoya standing there, his hair a mess and glasses nowhere to be seen, one of his hands reaching down to gently card through her hair. “Nothing can harm you, nothing can find you, nothing will touch you while _we_ remain, my dear.”

Of course, it took more than one time through to soothe the infant back to sleep, but before long, all Haruhi could hear was Kotoko’s gentle breathing as she was lulled back to sleep, a single fist resting beside her face on Haruhi’s shoulder as she continued rocking.

“I have to say,” Kyoya said, keeping his voice as soft as he could to avoid startling Kotoko, “I hadn’t thought you would remember that. You were...distressed.”

Exhaling softly, Haruhi rocked forward to help get herself up to standing, holding Kotoko close as she leaned forward and turned around, smiling up at Kyoya. “Well, you surprised me that day. Of course I remembered. It was when I started to see you in a different light,” she added, stepping closer and leaning up to press her lips against his cheek before stepping past, going to carefully set Kotoko down in her bassinet again. “I wasn’t exactly expecting a lullaby from you, but it was certainly appreciated then, and yes. I remembered.”

Coming up to stand behind Haruhi, Kyoya wrapped his arms around Haruhi’s waist, his chin leaning down to rest on her shoulder as they both looked down at the sleeping infant. “You needed a distraction, and to be calmed down. It seemed to be the best option at the time. And I’m glad it helped you so much.” He hummed softly before turning to press a kiss to her cheek, letting go to grab hold of her arm to pull her with him towards the bed. “Let’s sleep now, before Kotoko wakes again.”

With a small nod, Haruhi let herself be pulled back to the bed, yawning as they each crawled back beneath the blankets, burrowing back into the warmth they shared with one another.

All was at peace. All was well.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! If you wanna see what other things I've got kicking around, feel free to poke at me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/meynarad)!


End file.
